I went to Madison Square Park two times this summer. Both were for food events. Of course. Why else would I ever go outside?
Madison Square Eats, which was just a month of outdoor food vendors setting up shop in Worth Square, was ending just as I arrived in New York. The weather was pretty mild at the time, so this was a great place to hang out with friends and enjoy some great food and drinks. There was a big variety of vendors from tacos to pizza to jewelry and artwork. One of the stands had this array of spices in a rainbow of colors. I have no idea what any of this stuff is or how to cook with them, but it looked so pretty.
Bar Suzette had menu of both sweet and savory crepes, but since it was dinnertime, I decided on the hoisin chicken. Diced chicken, crunchy veggies, cucumbers slices, basil, and lots of hoisin sauce. The crepe was nice and thin, and the flavor was strong. A little too much basil for my liking, but overall really really good.
Not long after Madison Square Eats was the BBQ Block Party, where 15 or so pitmasters from all over the US come together to show off their barbecue. It was glorious! I got out of the subway and could smell the smoke two blocks away. Everyone was barbecueing different things. There was pulled pork, beef brisket, and even sausages and turkey. But there was only one thing that I wanted: RIBS!
I got in line for Pappy’s Smokehouse and for $8 you get baby back ribs with a side of baked beans. Lines are usually not very fun, but you can watch them preparing the ribs, so it wasn’t that bad.
The meat fell right off the bone and had just the right amount of smokiness. The barbecue sauce was perfect, and while the beans looked ordinary, those were amazing as well. Ah, that was a good meal!
Blue Smoke was one of the few vendors that also had dessert, and when I saw people walking around with a bowl of their blueberry crisp, I just had to get it. The line for this was ridiculously long! They had to have these people holding up colored flags to show people where the end of the line was for each vendor.
Blueberry insides with a crispy crust and topped with a large dollop of creamy vanilla ice cream. I love warm desserts coupled with cold ice cream. Plus, the portion size was huge. Perfect ending to the afternoon!
Bar Suzette
Yelp
Chelsea Market
425 W 15th St
Manhattan, NY 10014
Victoria F Hu 